Boy Blue’s junior national mark is finally broken

Stephen ‘Dirty’ Newbold ran 20.76 seconds this past weekend to finally break Michael ‘Boy Blue’ Newbold’s junior national record in the 200m. The old record of 20.78 seconds was run in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, on March 31, 1986. TNG FILE PHOTO

Stephen ‘Dirty’ Newbold erased a 27-year-old junior national record on Saturday, when he stopped the clock at 20.76 seconds in the 200 meters (m) at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) Junior National Championships.

Michael ‘Boy Blue’ Newbold set the old mark of 20.78 seconds in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe on March 31, 1986. Newbold got the win over Delano Davis and Anthony Adderley who turned in times of 21.45 seconds and 21.53 seconds respectively. The run, according to BAAA President Mike Sands, is just the tip of the iceberg for Stephen Newbold and a number of junior athletes who are looking to qualify for the upcoming International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) World Championships.

Sands said: “If you look at it, all of our junior athletes, especially those who are making that transition to the senior level, are competing very well. I must give their coaches and all the athletes special thanks for their continuous effort and training. This meet over the weekend proved that they are all working extremely hard to improve the level of track and field in the country. As we look to the IAAF World Championships, I am quite confident that a number of them will be named to the squad. Keep in mind that the BAAA do not set these standards. The governing body does, so it is up to the athletes to go out there and perform up to the standard, which has been happening.

“I am pleased that a number of them have already secured qualification and this is proof of how exciting the senior national championships will be, when they are all together competing head-to-head against some of the senior athletes.”

Newbold’s record was the third Bahamian national record that was set over the weekend. At the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held in Eugene, Oregon, Shaunae Miller ran 50.70 seconds to lower her junior national mark of 51.25 seconds. Jeffery Gibson broke a 30-year-old senior national record in the men’s 400m hurdles. Greg Rolle set the old record of 49.46 seconds on May 15, 1983 in Los Angeles, California.